Phoenix artist hopes new coloring book is a stress reliever

Phoenix artist Daniel Shepherd is using his skills and a desire to provide an opportunity for sweetness and relief in a chaotic world: He has created a character-driven coloring book, “Minimal: The World’s Nicest Bug.”

The bug’s name, Minimal, is fitting for its style — a simple, thick black body outline housing its cute antennae, big eyes and upbeat smile. The book features Minimal engaging in various activities that your crayons or markers can bring color and ink to, as your imagination sees fit.

Shepherd says he started working on some animations, and it went from there.

“I was really enjoying it, and then I started thinking about how I could put something out there that was just fun and simple. I combined things I enjoy — music and drawing — and you can see that in the music-centric works in the book. When I looked at ‘‘’em, they just made me laugh and happy. He’s simple but expressive.”

The book finds Minimal in an array of scenarios, from DJing, something Shepherd himself is known to do, to hanging out with friends, presenting a bouquet of flowers and chilling and eating pizza. “He’s just a nice bug doing things that nice bugs do,” Shepherd says. “One of his pals is Billy the Claw, who might be the subject of the next installment.” This current edition has a special Billy the Claw coloring page.

The scenes with Minimal’s family adorning the walls behind him in framed photos are a real treat, making us privy to his lineage.

Keeping everything uncomplicated was part of the artist’s goal, as reflected in this fun book. “His name matches him, and I’ve always been one to think it’s an accomplishment if you can get your point across with as little as possible. I’ve always felt like I accomplished something when I’ve done things as simply as I possibly could.”

Shepherd is known for his vintage collage work, which combines elements of humor, nostalgia and elegance through the reconfiguration of images and the use of repurposed materials. He also does unique abstract paintings that feature interesting color clashes on distressed wood. 

The artist shows regularly at Scottsdale’s Royse Contemporary, and owner and curator Nicole Royse says the work resonates with a diverse range of patrons. “Daniel creates wonderful original art in a variety of mediums and styles that is enjoyed by many,” she tells New Times. 

Goodness is the entire reason for Minimal’s existence.

“Quite honestly,” Shepherd tells us, “if there’s any point to it, it’s just that we need more niceness in the world. We need to be nice to each other. There needs to be more kindness than mean stuff.”

You can grab a copy of the book online, and Shepherd reminds us that it’s a fun one — for all ages.